In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Karou must come to terms with who and what she is, and how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, mysteries and secrets, new characters and old favorites, Days of Blood and Starlight brings the richness, color and intensity of the first book to a brand new canvas.

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Publisher's Summary

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Karou must come to terms with who and what she is, and how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, mysteries and secrets, new characters and old favorites, Days of Blood and Starlight brings the richness, color and intensity of the first book to a brand new canvas. Daughter of Smoke and Bone was declared a "must read" by Entertainment Weekly, was named a Best Book of the Year by Amazon.com, and The New York Times called it "a breath-catching romantic fantasy."

It's hard to write a review of this book without giving away too may spoilers, so I will keep this as general as possible.This book is amazing! If you loved Daughter of Smoke and Bone (a must read on my list) then you will LOVE this book too. It's darker then the first and not as much romance (to my disappointment) but it is exquisitely written and the story will suck you in from the beginning. Once this story gets going you will find it very hard to stop listening. I was obsessed!I was happy to see Zusana is back (she is one of my favorite characters) and there are many new ones introduced in this one.I wouldn't suggest picking this book up before reading Smoke and Bone as it might be too confusing given all the new character developments.As before, Khristine Hvam is brilliant at the narration. Thank you to Hachette Audio for sticking to a narrator that works!

I highly recommend this book/series and I can not wait for the next installment.

Well, my friends. Laini Taylor has hit it out of the park yet again with her sequel to Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and partnering yet again with incomparable audio narrator Khristine Hvam, I am simultaneously thrilled and pained that the wait has now begun for the final book.

Picking right up where Daughter of Smoke and Bone left off, this fast-paced and emotional book will not disappoint, as second books in trilogies sometimes can. Instead, Taylor sparkles with wit and depth, continuing the intelligent, wistful, and adventurous tale of Kerou, the heartbroken chimera. Left alone and considered a traitor, Kerou is still dealing with her conflicted feelings for Akiva, the seraphim angel. And although she is completely dedicated to her chimera people, and her wonderfully loyal and hilarious friends Zuzana and Mick (loved them!), Kerou doubts the leader of her chimera people, Thiago, and his motives. Final chapters leave the listener reeling, shocked by events, and breathless for the final book.

I refuse to divulge anything more for fear that it might give anything away for either book in the series, however suffice it to say that:

-- Book 2 is just as spectacular, creative, and innovative as Book 1-- It is excellent on audio-- It is the perfect book to listen to while running (it will make you run longer just to hear what happens next)-- I wish that this was a longer series simply because I believe that Taylor has created a universe just as full and magnificent, and could equal a long duration, as the successful Harry Potter series-- Bottom Line: You should read this

That is all I can say about this stunning Young Adult fantasy tale of angels and monsters, good versus evil, love and heartache, loyalty and betrayal. Laini Taylor keeps the fierce momentum going in Days of Blood and Starlight, powering through to the final emotional scenes, that ultimately leave you determined for more. Well done yet again, Ms. Taylor!

Audio Notes: Khristine Hvam returns to book two, thank goodness, and is a theatrical genius. I enjoyed her brilliant narration for all characters. Each is distinct and memorable.

Parental Notes: While the books are for an older young adult crowd, bear in mind that while it should be expected that there are battle-worthy moments of sword fighting and more, this one has moved a little more into scenes with consensual s3x, but also attempted s3xual assault. These are tougher to read/hear than the previous story. Make sure you have a conversation with your young reader to see if they have any questions.

I don't even know where to begin. This book took me on a roller-coaster of emotions. At one point it had me so depressed I stopped listening to the book for an entire week. I loved Daughter of Smoke and Bone EVERY SINGLE THING about it... except the end. I went into this book knowing we were going to be getting a different story, a story far more serious and a whole lot less fun.

Sh*t just got real.

This book is magnificent. It's not always pretty and it is often gut wrenching. Laini keeps you guessing and absolutely NOTHING is expected. I don't believe a reader could ask for more beautifully orchestrated writing.

The first half of this book is a little like walking through mud (only a little) and the second half is like riding a dragon bareback out of a secret dungeon bank. By the time you finish this book you will wonder why on earth you just subjected yourself AGAIN to the torture of an entire year waiting for the finale. You will know the answer of course, and you would do it all over again given the choice.

This book was worth the wait. I can't believe I am actually saying this, but it is such an excellent book. What a great second book in the trilogy. Usually the second book disappoints, and adds additional love interest, but to great satisfaction, this doesn't follow the usual. I thoroughly enjoyed and this book is as awesome as the first. If you enjoyed The Daughter of Smoke and Bone as much as I did, I absolutely feel in love with, you should most definitely enjoy this one too. Most of the characters are back, some sadly aren't, but as with the first book Khristine Hvam is wonderful and does a great job. And Laini Taylor is my new favorite everything :)

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

"Days of Blood & Starlight" is generally well-written with good plotting, and Khristine Hvam again does an excellent job at narration.

However, I found this sequel to be somewhat lackluster, especially in comparison to the "Daughter of Smoke & Bone". This audio book did not hold my interest the way the first novel did, and the early chapters of this listen unfolded very slowly in a somewhat repetitive way. To some degree, almost all sequels suffer in comparison to the original, but I was really hoping for more "passion" in this book.

Overall, this novel felt more like a bridge between the first and next book, than a critical part of the overall story. (It wouldn't stand alone without its predecessor.) That said, Ms. Hvam's performance really elevated this sequel to the degree that I am looking forward to the final installment of the series.

I Love a great supernatural tale, a Love story, PNR, a Cool Mystery and Most Sci-Fi....if there are vampires, weres or witches in it, that's a plus! Basically I am a 40+ y/o young at heart woman rediscovering the wonderful world of books and am now addicted! Lol I LOVE AUDIBLE!!!!!

I loved it ALL! It was beautifully written, beautifully narrated...most of it was quite tragic, but described in such poetic words....just WOW!

Who was your favorite character and why?

there are many, But I do love Karou....she strives for a better world, and with such young hope and brutal strength....you can not help but love her...I wanted to reach into the book and take her in my arms and just tell her that it would be ok,,,,but will it?

Which scene was your favorite?

I liked many, or loved to be specific, but I think when she teaches her friends to become invisible was one of my faves....

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

SOOOOOOOO MANY! But the ending, the last hour or so, made me weep,,,

Any additional comments?

Laini Taylor is so talented, she writes with such an open heart,,,I can not wait for the next book!! OMG! WOW! Tears......such a beautifully tragic tale...I will read it again....

I wasn't sure if it was possible, but damn, this book was just as good or BETTER than the first book, Daughter of Smoke & Bone. The saga continues between the fight of Angels and Demons. Both sides are fighting really dirty, as a war of over 1000 years would be. At the end of the first book I was left completely broken hearted and didn't know where Laini Taylor would take this story. Oh a story she did indeed. I must say again, the narrator is phenomenal. She had different unique voice for every character which made it much easier to listen to the story. It made the story more interesting, if possible.

I have to say, which I didn't before, I'm super impressed by the author, Laini Taylor. In her method of writing, she again is able to change points of view between characters, change tenses and it just FLOWS. She makes it seem so easy, but I know a lot of other authors would have had me totally confused. Like Quentin Tarantino directing Pulp Fiction, she writes a scene and the reader isn't sure what happened to have gotten there. Then she slowly fills in the blanks and never without twists, turns and surprises.

I'll try and stop my ranting now! Zuzana, Karou's best friend is still in this one. She plays a larger role in this one and we are able to hear her POV more often. She is still funny and witty as ever. I totally love her! Karou has been through a lot. She's still processing everything that happened in book 1. And just like the first book, there is SO much that happens in this book. I believe it was longer than the first which is saying something, since I thought that one was long. It feels like an epic fantasy novel, so indepth, so many different things happening at once. I LOVED IT!!

Surprises, betrayal, heart break, are some of the feelings I went through in this book. Along with feelings of hurt, disgust, love and amazement. I was definitely talking out loud in certain scenes of this book, since it was the audiobook it was a lot of 'HELL YEAH' and 'That's RIGHT'.

The end of this book is still left open for the next book, but it gives me more HOPE then the ending of the last. Karou and Akiva are in a slight better position and I hope they continue to work on their relationship and continue fighting to end the war.

Days of Blood & Starlight was everything I loved about the first book, without the few things I didn't like. The writing is still absolutely beautiful, the settings so alive, but the characters and story line have evolved from that YA obsession into something more. Judging from the first book's ending, I knew we'd have to wait for book three, but for once I don't mind. It's worth it. If you enjoyed Daughter of Smoke & Bone at all, this one is definitely a must.

I am clearly in the minority here based on the average review for this book on Goodreads, but I was bored.

I wasn't expecting to be blown away based on my impressions from the first book. The first book had this slow, angsty build, but about halfway through, it turned a corner and suddenly I was with Madrigal and Akiva and nothing else that came before mattered. So I wasn't surprised that in this installment, we had another slow start. But I was expecting it to pick up at some point, and for me, it never really did. Sure there was some action, but it was in brief, unsatisfying spurts and immediately after it was over, the tone would temper again and it was like nothing ever happened. By the end, I just wanted them to get on with it.

That being said, I still plan to pick up the final book in the series (or at least, I hope it'll be the final book in the series) when it comes out. The way this book ended, I think that the final book has real potential for a lot of action. I just hope Taylor doesn't drag it out like she did in this book. Hopefully this book was the long build-up to a whole lot of something in book 3

If you could sum up Days of Blood & Starlight in three words, what would they be?

ForgivenessHopeRevenge

Without giving anything away because the story is designed to go in blind and it's a LOT better that way, but Karou seeks forgivness, has and is Hope, and there is revenge exacted.

What did you like best about this story?

Zuzanna and Mick are fantastic characters and are used in the right amount during the story.

I think my favorite parts of this book were how the characters evolved and developed. From Karou and Akiva to the supporting cast, there was a lot of character building and it made everyone feel whole.

What about Khristine Hvam’s performance did you like?

She does an outstanding job giving each character a voice and using that voice to convey emotion. She uses her narration skills to bring the listener into the story and it helps us feel more like an observer than someone being read to.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, there's a few parts that are slower paced and while it's not a struggle to listen to, it does provide good stopping points. I find that to be a good thing, it lets us the listener catch a breath and prepare for what's next.

Any additional comments?

I'm really waiting to see the conclusion to this story and hope it lives up to some high expectations.

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